DS194. Staff Complement and Deployment in Care Homes
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Staff Complement and Deployment in Care Homes (Scotland) Policy
Policy Statement
This care home aims to achieve the person-centred national health and social care standards set out in My Support, My Life by ensuring that people who use our service are given the support they need through our safe staffing provision. The service always carefully monitors and reviews its staffing complement and turnover and terms and conditions of service to ensure that it employs staff who are of the required calibre to provide high-quality care and to enhance the practice of these members of staff.
In these ways the care home will ensure that it will meet the following standards.
“3. I have confidence in the people who support and care for me
Responsive Care and Support
3.17 I am confident that people respond promptly, including when I ask for help.
3.18 I am supported and cared for sensitively by people who anticipate issues and are aware of and plan for any known vulnerability or frailty.
3.19 My care and support is consistent and stable because people work together well.
4. I have confidence in the organisation providing my care and support
Responsive Care and Support
4.13 I have enough time and support to plan any move to a new service.
4.14 My care and support is provided in a planned and safe way, including if there is an emergency or unexpected event.
4.15 I experience stability in my care and support from people who know my needs, choices and wishes, even if there are changes in the service or organisation.
4.16 I am supported and cared for by people I know so that I experience consistency and continuity.”
This policy on staff complement and deployment should be read and used in relation to the care home’s other safe staffing policies, including those that address terms and conditions of service and working practices, training and continuing professional development.
In developing these policies the care home is committed to:
- achieving staffing levels, both in terms of numbers and skills, that are appropriate for the number of people being cared for and to meet their assessed needs
- providing good continuity of care by making sure that its staff work as teams and that they have good teamwork
- developing effective communication between team members
- always supervising new staff before they are competent to work on their own
- fully briefing duty staff on people’s daily needs and to respond appropriately to the different care situations that arise
- working closely with other carers, professionals and agencies involved in the service provision, and providing multidisciplinary integrated care.
Principles of the Staffing Policy
1. All staff have clearly defined job descriptions.
2. All staff are expected to shadow other members of staff during their induction period to better understand their own and others’ roles and responsibilities.
3. All staff job descriptions are linked to achieving the individual goals of the people receiving care as set out in each person’s plan.
4. All support staff are registered with the Scottish Social Service Council and know how to follow the Code of Practice for Social Service Workers and requirements for continuous professional learning.
5. Staff are also made familiar with and are expected to comply with the care home’s safeguarding policies.
6. All nursing staff and allied health professionals employed by the care home (where applicable) comply with the standards of conduct and practice established by their own regulatory bodies.
7. Staff are only expected to go beyond their job descriptions in exceptional circumstances to make sure people’s needs are being met.
As part of their work roles, all staff are expected to:
- get to know and develop a relationship with the people they support
- meet individual needs with attention to gender, age, cultural background, personal interests, language and communication needs
- be aware of their own knowledge and skill limitations and know when it is appropriate to involve someone else with more specific expertise.
Commitment to Teamwork and Integrated Care
The care home is committed to having an effective staff team, with sufficient numbers and complementary skills to support people’s assessed needs at all times. The care home is also committed to multidisciplinary working and integrated care models and will adjust its staffing provision in line with these requirements.
The rota and total numbers of staff planned to be on duty at any one time will therefore be set according to the:
- needs of the individual to be cared for
- nature and level of dependency of the people to be cared for, their assessed risks and the plans made to support their wellbeing
- ages of the people to be cared for
- skills and experience of the staff
- availability of staff (part time/full time/sickness/leave, etc)
- multidisciplinary nature of the total support being provided.
In terms of staff experience, it is the care home’s policy that:
- there is always an appropriate mix of staff with relevant experience, qualifications and skills available to meet the individual care needs of people who use the service
- staff in charge of the care home are all suitably qualified and experienced to be in a position of responsibility
- staff who are initially appointed as trainees (including all staff under 18) are as a matter of course registered on a nationally certified training programme
- any staff members from overseas who do not use English as their first language receive support to overcome any immediate communication difficulties they might be having
- extra staff will be called in at periods of high demand and emergencies, if necessary
- where agency staff are used, every effort is made:
– to ensure that they come from a reputable agency
– the staff provided are of high quality and are suitably qualified and experienced
– that preference is given to using agency staff who know the care home and the people who use it already.
Staffing Model (Example Only)
The following example should be adjusted to meet individual requirements.
This home operates two rota systems to provide 24-hour care, one rota for senior/nursing staff and one rota for care assistants.
Each rota is announced at least one month in advance. Any requests from staff for particular dates or time off must be submitted in writing to the person responsible for the rota at least two weeks before a rota for the following month is due to be announced.
Management try to meet all reasonable requests for certain duties, but reserves the right not to accede to the request if accepting it would cause staffing levels and skills mix to fall below the minimum acceptable standard.
The senior rota consists of the following.
- Two qualified nurses on duty through office hours of 7am to 5pm.
- One qualified nurse on duty from 5pm to 10pm.
- One qualified nurse sleeping in on call from 10pm to 7am.
The care assistant rota consists of the following.
- Two day staff on duty from 7am to 10pm.
- One extra staff on duty from 7am to 10am.
- Two extra staff on duty from 4pm to 6pm.
- One night staff on duty from 10pm to 7am.
___________________________ is responsible for working out the rota.
[The senior rota is applicable only to homes providing nursing care.]
The rota will be set according to the following factors.
- The numbers of people to be cared for.
- The nature and level of people’s care and support needs and the assessed risks to their personal safety.
- The ages of the people to be cared for.
- The geography and layout of the building.
- The skills and experience of the staff.
- The availability of staff (part time/full time/sickness/leave, etc)
- The availability of staff with the skills to meet the communication needs of each individual.
Staff Experience
To conform with the statutory requirements, it is the policy of the home to ensure that:
8. there are sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff on duty at any one time, including registered nurses (where required)
9. younger and less experienced staff, including apprentices and trainees, always work with or receive support from more experienced and qualified staff members and these requirements are fully reflected in the rostering.
Additions
- Extra staff are called in at peak times if necessary.
- Domestic staff are employed in sufficient numbers to ensure that standards relating to food, meals and nutrition are fully met, and that the home is maintained in a clean and hygienic state, free from dirt and unpleasant odours.
Training
Staff are inducted into their roles in line with Scottish Social Services Council frameworks and learning resources. They are made aware of other staff roles and responsibilities, and the care home’s commitment to teamwork and interdisciplinary working as part of the training process. Staff with previous experience of care work but who are new to this work setting have an induction programme related to their roles and responsibilities. Further training is provided as and when new roles are introduced.
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